The Fundamentals of Racism
Have you ever been called out for just “giving your opinion”? Do you ever find yourself walking around and wishing everyone just spoke English? Have you ever been called a racist when you thought you were being “curious”?
If so - this might be a guide for you… Here are the 7 ways to defend yourself from being called a racist:
Say you don’t see colour - because if you say you don’t believe in race as a concept, how can you be racist?
Have at least one person you call a friend that is a person of colour (while not identifying them as a person of colour or acknowledging it)
Say you donate to communities in need all the time (no need to prove it to anyone, but if you do donate - just make sure it doesn’t actually go to an organization that helps people but instead also just says they do)
Believe in and defend “Reverse Racism” - call the people who you call you racist - racist. If everyone is racist, then are we all really racist?
Saying you like cultural music genres, i.e. Reggae, Afro Beats, K-Pop, etc.
Explain at every point that having a preference does not make you a racist - it just means you have to get along with some people better. What’s the harm in that?
Probably the most common way to defend yourself is to preface all opinions by saying, “I’m not a racist, but…”.
If you haven’t caught on by now - this article isn’t about defending yourself from racism. It is about racism, obviously, and more importantly, how we (yes, we) are all responsible for letting racists do what they want all the time. This article is about personal accountability and a relatively new concept that most people don’t understand - anti-racism.
Just so I don’t have any trolls telling me that racism isn’t really a problem in today’s world, here are just some of the headlines that have recently come up on the subject of racism :
Splash Mountain is Being Replaced (with Princess Tiana and her pal the alligator Louis)
BC launched an anti-racism action plan in K-12 schools
Hate Crimes Leading to Murder
Canadian Judge accused of Racist Comments let go by Judiciary Board
Trump Racist (again) against Transportation Secretary
Black, Muslim, and Asian groups in the UK, the US, and Canada are all under some form of attack based on race - physically, economically, socially, religiously, medically, and generally.
Charlie Hebdo’s mockery of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Generally, anything Charlie Hebdo puts out is, in my view - racist.
This one is my personal favourite: all the ways mainstream media has been racist in their coverage, and the secrets are slowly coming out.
Now I’ve tried to keep it limited to at least Canada and the US for this purpose: Western countries tout and strut around global conferences condemning the actions of developing nations because of human rights violations and the like. Yet - these two countries are battling racism and upholding the racist infrastructure they created and continue to profit from these systems of discrimination and oppression.
Now if you don’t believe me - my go-to answer would typically be - it sucks to suck or educate yourself. Well - here’s where I and everyone who wants to help abolish racism and the impact of the sordid legacy need some responsibility. It is a lot easier to blame racists for being racist - which is true too, but we also need to recognize that most people are born into a system of beliefs and need some guidance to help them find the answers we wish were easier to find.
See - the past three years have been incredibly enlightening for the subject of racism as a whole. From the viral and tragic event of George Floyd’s murder, many people took to educating themselves in the discourse of racism and how it materializes in our society today. While others, unsurprisingly, took to denying the existence of race and arguing that instead - systemic discrimination is a figment of the imagination of minorities, that instead - ideals such as meritocracy and “diversity quotas” are discriminatory to the masses. What basis do they have for these claims? Well, none really, but the reason it is so difficult to dismantle systemic racism is that it's ingrained in every portion of our society, whether you know it or not.
The constitution that America hides behind and boasts its “democracy” around is the product of a group of caucasian slave lords who decided they didn’t want to be taxed at the rates they were by a monarchy across the ocean. While that is a VERY narrow explanation of the Independence of the United States of America, the facts remain unchanged. To deny or ignore the context of how the government was set up and, subsequently, how the laws that govern our society were formed and with what purpose is truly the reason our society cannot move forward.
Now here I will say this - I have never considered a career as a politician. Why? The reasons could be listed for hours, but the main reason - I don’t lie very well and don’t know how to hide my feelings very well either. This is not to say that I blurt out confidential information so much that I could never last in this field - its to say that if I can speak to something with 100% certainty and know that people are suffering as a result of something completely fixable and that there are options to help, I cannot just sit quietly. This is an inherent part of the challenges for those who wish to be advocates against racism - we are so tired of explaining that RACISM DOES, IN FACT, EXIST that we don’t take the time to hear the reasons WHY people think the way they do.
I am a staunch anti-Zionist. Many people may immediately jump in and call me a racist and anti-Semitic (I qualify as Semitic by ethnicity, religion, and language). My urge to yell back at them because they haven’t read a book or understand human decency often wants to be unleashed and scream at the top of my lungs. However, I found that when you speak sense, logic, and most importantly, have the knowledge to respond with cold facts - these bigots can’t help but expose themselves for what they are. So instead I have found that I need to take a breath and get on their level - mentally, not in action, keep in mind.
I try to approach these discussions with the mindset that if I go in and try to change a person’s mind - I will be unsuccessful. If my goal is to be heard and listen to what they have to say (with intense concentration and determination not to roll my eyes consistently), the facts speak for themselves. While not always possible - broaching a conversation with the intent to understand someone’s perspective versus flashing your opinions in rebuttal - gets people to take some onus and think for themselves. While I am still finding the best (not yelling) method to approach racism in my daily life, I found that I can sprinkle in my observations, and it encourages people to ask me questions. While I might not have all the answers, I can direct them to more sources of information they might find interesting on the topic.
I try to remember when I feel demotivated or frustrated in this regard: I can’t do everything but can do this. I can take the initiative to work on myself and the ways that I may unintentionally allow racists to continue to be racist. I can’t change someone’s mind, but I can most definitely inform them of their misconceptions and actively try to inform them of the truth.
So when I hear, “oh, it’s not that bad” or “that can’t be true,” - you want to know what I do? Spit facts (excuse my colloquial jargon - I don’t actually spit on people). For example, if someone says that racism doesn’t exist in the medical field, I politely tell them they are very wrong and point them to the facts. The facts are - Black women are disproportionately affected by misdiagnosis’ in North America, from heart attacks to untreated conditions, because of bias that these women don’t experience pain the way the rest of the world does or to the fact that Black women suffer maternal mortality at a much higher rate than any other racial group (if you are surprised by that fact then this is precisely the point I’m making). If you want some stats to verify - see the link for the CDC reports on the subject.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2020/maternal-mortality-rates-2020.htm
So when someone puts forth any of the “justifications” or “defences” for their racism, here is what anti-racism conveys in response:
Don’t just “let it go.” If you (whether you are a POC or not) don’t speak out against racism, you are excusing it and allowing it to continue.
If you find yourself wondering - how is “that” racist? Look it up. Educating yourself is by far the most underrated method of activism. When asked how or why - actually having the answer to some questions makes the most significant difference in our progress as a society.
Encourage conversations about race and topics that generally are “uncomfortable.” If your office has one person of colour and you notice it, bringing it up to open a discussion versus demanding someone is hired solely based on racial identity can be more eye-opening and leads to more transparency overall. Hiring someone of the “colour” you need is also racist.
Being Silent = Being Complicit. The biggest takeaway from this article should be this - anti-racism is about actively working towards the deconstruction of our VERY racist systems.
While I am acutely aware that I am not an expert on the subjects of racism, anti-racism, society, history, and law, I know that I may never know it all. Yet, I am trying to do the work and I don’t think I can bear to stay silent for the selfish reason that I don’t want to be a part of the problem anymore.
See below for some resources about Anti-Racism:
https://www.ibramxkendi.com/ - Ibram X. Kendi writes and speaks about anti-racism and how to be anti-racist.
https://www.vox.com/2020/6/3/21278245/antiracist-racism-race-books-resources-antiracism - What it Means To Be Anti-Racist
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-anti-racism-5071426 - What is Anti-Racism? This is a good starter guide to the principles and practices of anti-racism and why it is important.